Around 1982 or so, just before de-regulation whereby one could hook up one's own telephone equipment to the system, and the 'option-to-purchase' came into effect, the telephone company took away my great-aunt's old telephone. I was some pissed off when I went to visit her not long after that announcement was made and I saw a gleeming new black phone in place of the old cast bakelite unit she had since the house was built in 1932. It was a regular dial phone, alright, but with the chrome dial, black-on-white enamel numbers with a red 0, and the nickel bands around both ends of the receiver. I asked her why she got a new phone, and she said, "They came around one day and said they'll change it for free". I asked her if is was working okay, and she said yes, so I asked why the hell did she let them in!! If it was me, I would NOT have let them in to change it. I would have stalled them until the plan became 'official', and then showed them the receipt the next time they came around. I really wanted to give her the $12.00 to buy that phone off Edmonton Telephones which was what the buyout for a 'basic black set' would have cost.
Craig